Cataclysm Mounts Guide – All Mounts & Farming Tips (2025)
Cataclysm introduced some of World of Warcraft’s most visually stunning mounts, from the fiery Pureblood Fire Hawk to the mysterious Phosphorescent Stone Drake. This expansion introduced drakes, camels, seahorses, and phoenixes, which remain highly sought after by collectors to this day.
In this guide, we cover all 40+ Cataclysm mounts, including raid drops, dungeon mounts, rare spawns, reputation rewards, and achievement mounts. You’ll learn drop rates, farming strategies, and how to solo everything efficiently in 2025.
Quick Reference: Cataclysm Mounts Overview
| Mount Type | Count | Difficulty | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raid Mounts | 8 | Medium | Weekly farms |
| Dungeon Mounts | 3 | Easy | Daily farms |
| Rare Spawns | 2 | Very Hard | Camping |
| Reputation Mounts | 8+ | Medium | Dailies/Tabards |
| Achievement Mounts | 4 | Medium-Hard | Meta achievements |
| PvP Mounts | 2 | Hard | Rated PvP |
Total Cataclysm Mounts: 40+ collectible mounts
Cataclysm Raid Mounts
Firelands Raid Mounts
Flametalon of Alysrazor
Drop Rate: 2% (both Normal and Heroic)
Boss: Alysrazor (Firelands)
Type: Ground mount (does not fly)
The Flametalon drops from Alysrazor, the 4th boss in Firelands. Despite being a firehawk, this mount is ground-only, making it unique among Firelands drops.
How to Get It (2025):
- Enter Firelands (Mount Hyjal, southwestern portal at 47.3, 78.1)
- Clear to Alysrazor (you can skip most bosses, but Shannox requires trash kills)
- Defeat Alysrazor
- Loot for 2% chance at a mount
Farming Tips:
- You can run both Normal and Heroic in the same week (separate lockouts)
- Alysrazor is accessible without killing all prior bosses
- Clear time to Alysrazor: 5-10 minutes
- Solo difficulty: Trivial at level 70+
Pureblood Fire Hawk (Smoldering Egg of Millagazor)
Drop Rate: 1-2% (both Normal and Heroic)
Boss: Ragnaros (Firelands)
Type: Flying mount
The Pureblood Fire Hawk is one of WoW’s most iconic phoenix mounts. It drops from Ragnaros, the final boss of Firelands, and works on both difficulties.
How to Get It (2025):
- Enter Firelands
- Clear all 6 bosses before Ragnaros (mandatory)
- After Baleroc, click the orb to spawn a bridge to Staghelm
- Defeat Majordomo Staghelm
- Defeat Ragnaros for a 1-2% chance
Route for Speed:
- Shannox (kill trash while moving)
- Beth’tilac
- Lord Rhyolith
- Alysrazor
- Baleroc
- Click orb → Staghelm → Ragnaros
Full clear time: 15-20 minutes
Lockout: Once per week per character, per difficulty
2025 Solo: Easily soloable by any class
Important: Run both Normal and Heroic for 2 chances per week per character
Dragon Soul Raid Mounts
Experiment 12-B
Drop Rate: ~1%
Boss: Ultraxion (Dragon Soul)
Difficulties: Normal and Heroic (NOT Raid Finder)
This pink and white drake drops from Ultraxion, the 5th boss of Dragon Soul. The mount is contained in the Lesser Cache of the Aspects.
How to Get It (2025):
- Enter Dragon Soul (Caverns of Time, Tanaris)
- Clear first 4 bosses: Morchok, Zon’ozz, Yor’sahj, Hagara
- Defeat Ultraxion
- Loot cache for 1% chance
QoL Changes (Patch 11.0):
- Ultraxion defense phase simplified
- Much faster to clear
- Still requires defeating previous bosses
Solo Strategy:
- Level 70+ trivializes the fight
- Ignore mechanics, burn the boss
- Time per run: 10-15 minutes to Ultraxion
Blazing Drake
Drop Rate: ~1%
Boss: Madness of Deathwing (Dragon Soul)
Difficulties: Normal and Heroic
A large rose-colored drake with horns reminiscent of Alexstrasza. Drops from the final Deathwing encounter.
How to Get It (2025):
- Clear all Dragon Soul bosses
- Complete Spine of Deathwing (now much easier with QoL changes)
- Defeat Madness of Deathwing
- Loot for 1% chance
Spine of Deathwing QoL (2025):
- Amalgamations now only need 1 stack (down from 9)
- Dramatically faster encounter
- Normal difficulty unchanged (possible oversight)
Full clear time: 20-25 minutes
Life-Binder’s Handmaiden
Drop Rate: ~1%
Boss: Madness of Deathwing (Dragon Soul)
Difficulty: HEROIC ONLY
This elegant drake ONLY drops on Heroic difficulty from Madness of Deathwing. It’s the rarest Dragon Soul mount.
How to Get It (2025):
- Set raid difficulty to Heroic (10 or 25 player)
- Clear the entire Dragon Soul raid on Heroic
- Defeat Madness of Deathwing
- Loot for 1% chance
Important Notes:
- Does NOT drop on Normal or Raid Finder
- Must clear the entire raid to access Madness
- Heroic Spine is much easier with QoL changes
- Can run alongside Blazing Drake (same boss, same difficulty)
Throne of the Four Winds – Drake of the South Wind
Drop Rate: 1-2%
Boss: Al’Akir (Throne of the Four Winds)
Difficulties: Normal and Heroic
An awe-inspiring storm drake with vibrant colors and swirling wind patterns. Al’Akir is a single-boss raid.
How to Get It (2025):
- Enter Throne of the Four Winds (Skywall, Uldum)
- Defeat Al’Akir
- Loot for a 1-2% chance
Farming Strategy:
- One-boss raid = very fast runs
- Solo difficulty: Trivial at level 70+
- Clear time: 2-5 minutes
- Run both Normal and Heroic weekly
Location: Uldum, southeastern platform entrance at 38.4, 80.6
Cataclysm Dungeon Mounts
Drake of the North Wind
Drop Rate: ~1%
Boss: Altairus (Vortex Pinnacle)
Difficulties: Normal and Heroic
A red storm drake with the classic wind drake model. Drops from the second boss in Vortex Pinnacle.
How to Get It (2025):
- Enter Vortex Pinnacle (Uldum, southeastern floating platform)
- Clear to Altairus (2nd boss)
- Defeat Altairus
- Loot for 1% chance
Farming Strategy:
- Normal mode: 10 runs per hour (instance cap)
- Heroic mode: 1 run per day
- Solo difficulty: Trivial
- Time per run: 3-5 minutes
Recommended: Farm on Normal for maximum attempts per hour
Vitreous Stone Drake
Drop Rate: ~1%
Boss: Slabhide (The Stonecore)
Difficulties: Normal and Heroic
A stone drake featuring rugged, crystalline skin with earthy tones. Drops from the second boss in The Stonecore.
How to Get It (2025):
- Enter The Stonecore (Deepholm, Temple of Earth at 47.7, 52.0)
- Kill trash to summon Corborus (1st boss)
- Clear to Slabhide (2nd boss)
- Defeat Slabhide for 1% chance
Farming Strategy:
- Normal mode: 10 runs per hour
- Heroic mode: 1 run per day
- You must kill some trash to progress
- Time per run: 3-5 minutes
Location: Requires flying mount to reach entrance (high on Temple of Earth)
Cataclysm Rare Spawn Mounts
Phosphorescent Stone Drake
Drop Rate: 100% (when you find Aeonaxx)
Source: Aeonaxx (Deepholm rare spawn)
Difficulty: Finding the spawn
The mount is guaranteed when you defeat Aeonaxx, but finding this rare spawn is extremely challenging.
Aeonaxx Details:
- Spawn Timer: 2-8 hours
- Shares spawn with: Blood Seeker (level 15 bat)
- Spawn Chance: ~6% when timer is up
- Blood Seeker appears: Much more frequently, despawns after 15 seconds
6 Spawn Locations (All Airborne):
- Northwest: 42.0, 43.6
- West: 43.0, 50.8
- Center: 49.1, 55.6
- South: 50.5, 63.5
- Northeast: 53.7, 39.7
- East: 55.0, 54.0
How to Hunt Aeonaxx (2025):
- Install NPCScan or SilverDragon addon
- Create target macro:
/targetexact Aeonaxx - Fly between spawn points, checking each location
- When Blood Seeker spawns, take a 2-hour break (spawn timer reset)
- A party of 5 can cover all spawn points simultaneously
Combat Tips:
- Must mount Aeonaxx to engage (starts friendly)
- Spawns whelpling adds during the fight
- Can be shared with a party of 5 (all get the mount)
- Cannot loot in raid group (party only)
- Use the Goblin Glider Kit for safe dismount
2025 Strategy:
- Cross-realm farming is possible via Group Finder
- Multiple characters camping in different realms
- Most efficient: 5-person group covering all spawn points
Reins of Poseidus (Subdued Seahorse)
Drop Rate: 100% (when you find Poseidus)
Source: Poseidus (Vashj’ir rare spawn)
Type: Aquatic mount (Bind on Equip)
A rare seahorse mount usable in any underwater environment, not just Vashj’ir.
Poseidus Details:
- Spawn Timer: 4-7 hours (hotfixed in Patch 7.3.2, previously 72-120 hours)
- Spawn Locations: 5 points across Shimmering Expanse and Abyssal Depths
- Drop: Guaranteed, BoE (can be sold on AH)
5 Spawn Points:
- 1 in Abyssal Depths
- 4 in Shimmering Expanse
Mount Speeds:
- In Vashj’ir: 270%
- Other underwater areas: 108% (same as Sea Turtle)
How to Hunt Poseidus (2025):
- Install NPCScan addon
- Patrol all 5 spawn points
- Check Friday-Sunday (higher spawn chance toward reset)
- Level 70+ can one-shot the mob
- Mount is BoE, can be sold or traded
Value: Often listed on AH for 100k-500k+ gold depending on the realm
Cataclysm Reputation Mounts
Ramkahen (Uldum)
Vendor: Blacksmith Abasi (Ramkahen, Uldum)
Reputation Required: Exalted
Mounts:
- Brown Riding Camel – Exalted
- Tan Riding Camel – Exalted
How to Get Exalted:
- Complete all story quests in Uldum (55 total, reaches Revered)
- Daily quests: 2 available (400 rep per day)
- Wear Tabard of Ramkahen in Cataclysm dungeons
Time Investment: 1-2 weeks with dailies, or dungeon spam with tabard
Wildhammer Clan (Alliance) / Dragonmaw Clan (Horde)
Location: Twilight Highlands
Quartermaster: Craw MacGraw (Wildhammer) / Grot Deathblow (Dragonmaw)
Mounts:
- Alliance: Wildhammer gryphon mounts
- Horde: Dragonmaw wind rider mounts
How to Get Exalted:
- Complete Twilight Highlands questing to Friendly
- Purchase faction tabard
- Daily quests: 5 available (1,350 rep per day)
- Wear a tabard in dungeons
Vendor Locations:
- Wildhammer: Thundermar (49.6, 30.6)
- Dragonmaw: Bloodgulch (55.0, 43.6)
Therazane (Deepholm)
Quartermaster: D’lom the Collector (Deepholm)
Starting Rep: Hated (unique among Cataclysm factions)
How to Get Friendly → Exalted:
- Complete the entire Deepholm questline (reaches Friendly)
- Daily quests: 5 available (1,250 rep per day until Revered)
- Additional quests unlock at Revered
- Wear Tabard of Therazane in dungeons
Rewards:
- Primarily shoulder enchants (BiS for Cataclysm)
- Tabard and cosmetics at various rep levels
Note: No unique mounts, but essential rep for enchants
Baradin’s Wardens (Alliance) / Hellscream’s Reach (Horde)
Location: Tol Barad
Mount: Spectral Steed/Wolf
How to Get Exalted:
- Complete Tol Barad daily quests (up to 18 per day)
- Participate in the Tol Barad battle
- Win the battle for additional dailies
- Accumulate 200 Tol Barad Commendations
PvP Required: Yes (for optimal rep gain)
Cataclysm Achievement Mounts
Volcanic Stone Drake
Achievement: Glory of the Cataclysm Hero
Type: Dungeon meta-achievement
Complete all Cataclysm Heroic dungeon achievements, including specific boss challenges in each dungeon.
Requirements:
- Complete all Heroic dungeons once (Cataclysm Dungeon Hero)
- Complete specific achievements in each dungeon
- Most can be soloed at level 70+
Difficulty (2025): Easy to solo, time-consuming to complete all achievements
Drake of the East Wind
Achievement: Glory of the Cataclysm Raider
Type: Raid meta-achievement
Complete all achievements across Blackwing Descent, Bastion of Twilight, and Throne of the Four Winds.
Requirements:
- Defeat all bosses on Heroic difficulty
- Complete specific achievements for each boss
- May require multiple players for some mechanics
Difficulty (2025): Medium, some achievements need coordination
Dark Phoenix
Achievement: Guild Glory of the Cataclysm Raider
Cost: 3,000 gold (after achievement)
Vendor: Guild vendor
Complete Glory of the Cataclysm Raider with a qualifying guild group (minimum guild members required).
Requirements:
- Guild Level 25
- Complete raid meta with guild group
- Purchase from the faction guild vendor
Reins of the Twilight Harbinger
Achievement: Glory of the Dragon Soul Raider
Type: Dragon Soul meta-achievement
Complete all achievements in Dragon Soul raid.
Requirements:
- Complete specific achievements for all 8 bosses
- Includes: “Chromatic Champion,” “Ping Pong Champion,” “Maybe He’ll Get Dizzy”
- Most can be soloed in 2025
2025 Farming Strategies
Weekly Lockout Route (Raid Mounts)
Optimal Weekly Route (25-30 minutes per character):
- Firelands (15-20 min)
- Run to Alysrazor → Kill for Flametalon (2%)
- Continue to Ragnaros → Kill for Pureblood Fire Hawk (1-2%)
- Run both Normal and Heroic for 4 total chances
- Dragon Soul (20-25 min)
- Clear to Ultraxion → Kill for Experiment 12-B (1%)
- Complete Spine and Madness → Kill for Blazing Drake (1%)
- Run Heroic for Life-Binder’s Handmaiden (1%, Heroic only)
- Throne of the Four Winds (2-5 min)
- One boss → Kill Al’Akir for Drake of the South Wind (1-2%)
- Run both Normal and Heroic
Total Time: 45-60 minutes per character for all raid mounts
Total Chances: 9 mounts drop per character per week
Daily Farming (Dungeon Mounts)
Dungeon Lockout Caps:
- Normal Mode: 10 instances per hour
- Heroic Mode: 1 instance per day
Recommended Strategy:
- Run Normal mode only (10 runs per hour vs 1 per day)
- Farm Vortex Pinnacle and Stonecore back-to-back
- Time per run: 3-5 minutes each
- Total: 20 runs per hour possible (10 VP + 10 SC)
Instance Reset Timer: Tracks 10 instances in a rolling 60-minute window
Multi-Character Farming
Best Classes for Speed:
- Demon Hunter: Exceptional mobility, fast clears
- Druid: Flight form, instant mount
- Monk: High mobility, Roll ability
- Hunter: Pets tank, high burst damage
Efficiency Tips:
- Use 5-10 characters for weekly raid runs
- Level 70+ characters trivialize all content
- Queue all characters on Tuesday reset
- Combine with transmog farming for bonus gold
Rare Spawn Camping Tips
Aeonaxx (Phosphorescent Stone Drake)
Modern Strategy (2025):
- Use Community Addons:
- NPCScan or SilverDragon
- Rare spawn announcement Discord servers
- Realm hop groups in Group Finder
- Efficient Camping:
- Create a level 70 character on multiple realms
- Check all realms daily for spawn
- Join rare spawn hunting communities
- Use a macro to target from far away
- Group Strategy:
- Form a party of 5 friends
- Each person camps at a different spawn point
- All members get a mount when any player finds it
- Most efficient method for guaranteed acquisition
Time Investment: 1-4 weeks of daily checking (varies by luck)
Poseidus (Reins of Poseidus)
Modern Strategy (2025):
- Improved Spawn Rate: 4-7 hours (much better than the original 72-120 hours)
- Check Friday-Sunday: Higher spawn rates toward the weekly reset
- Cross-Realm Farm: Use Group Finder to check multiple realms
- BoE Advantage: Can buy from AH if farming is too tedious
Alternative: Check AH weekly, prices range 100k-500k+ gold depending on the realm economy
Essential Addons for Mount Farming
Recommended Addons
SavedInstances:
- Tracks lockouts across all characters
- Shows which bosses killed per character
- Essential for multi-character farming
Rarity:
- Tracks mount attempts and kills
- Calculates the probability of obtaining mount
- Shows statistics across all characters
NPCScan / SilverDragon:
- Alerts when rare spawns appear
- Customizable audio/visual alerts
- Essential for Aeonaxx and Poseidus
All The Things:
- Tracks all collectibles, including mounts
- Shows what you’re missing in each raid/dungeon
- In-game collection tracking
TomTom:
- Waypoint navigation for rare spawn locations
- Coordinate input for spawn points
- Essential for efficient rare camping
Cataclysm vs Other Expansions
Compared to Other Expansion Mounts:
Advantages:
- All mounts are still obtainable (nothing removed)
- Relatively easy to solo at level 70+
- Fast weekly lockout runs (45-60 min total)
- Some guaranteed drops (Aeonaxx, Poseidus)
- BoE option (Poseidus) allows purchase
Challenges:
- Low drop rates (1-2% for most)
- Rare spawns require patience
- Some achievements need multiple players
- Dragon Soul Spine can be annoying (even with QoL)
Best Expansion for New Collectors? Cataclysm is excellent for beginners because all content is trivially soloable and runs are quick.
FAQ
What’s the easiest Cataclysm mount to get?
Drake of the North Wind from Vortex Pinnacle. You can run it 10 times per hour on Normal difficulty, and the dungeon takes 3-5 minutes. With enough attempts, you’ll get it relatively quickly.
Can you still get all Cataclysm mounts in 2025?
Yes, all Cataclysm mounts remain obtainable. No mounts from this expansion have been removed from the game.
What’s the rarest Cataclysm mount?
Phosphorescent Stone Drake from Aeonaxx is the rarest due to the extremely low spawn rate and spawn chance (~6% every 2-8 hours). However, it’s a 100% drop when you find the mob.
How long does it take to farm all Cataclysm raid mounts?
With average luck, expect 6-12 months of weekly runs across multiple characters. Drop rates are 1-2%, so you’ll need 50-100 attempts per mount on average.
Can you solo Firelands in 2025?
Yes, any class at level 70+ can trivially solo Firelands on both Normal and Heroic difficulties. Full clear takes 15-20 minutes.
Should I run Normal or Heroic for Firelands mounts?
Run both. The mounts drop on both difficulties with the same drop rate, and lockouts are separate. This gives you 2 chances per character per week.
Is Poseidus still worth farming, or should I buy it?
If you have 100k-500k gold, buying from AH is faster. If you enjoy rare spawn hunting and have time, farming can be rewarding. The spawn rate was improved significantly in Legion.
What’s the best class for farming Cataclysm mounts?
Demon Hunter is the fastest due to exceptional mobility. However, any class works fine at level 70 and above. Choose based on which characters you have available.
Do Dragon Soul QoL changes affect mount drops?
No, the quality-of-life changes only made Spine of Deathwing easier and faster to complete. Mount drop rates remain unchanged.
How many Cataclysm mounts can I farm per week?
You can farm 9 raid mounts per character per week (Firelands Normal/Heroic, Dragon Soul Normal/Heroic, Throne Normal/Heroic). Dungeon mounts have no weekly cap.
Related Guides
Looking for more mount farming guides? Check out these comprehensive resources:
- All Mounts Guide – Complete WoW mount collection guide with 900+ mounts
- Rare Mounts Guide – Farming strategies for all rare drop mounts
- War Within Mounts Guide – Current expansion mount farming
- Dragonflight Mounts Guide – Dragonriding and expansion mounts
- Shadowlands Mounts Guide – Covenant and zone-specific mounts
- Legion Mounts Guide – Class halls and Argus mounts
- Battle for Azeroth Mounts Guide – Island Expeditions and zone mounts
- Warlords of Draenor Mounts Guide – Garrison and Tanaan Jungle mounts
- Achievement Mounts Guide – Meta-achievement mount rewards
Final Thoughts
Cataclysm remains one of the best expansions for mount collecting in 2025. With all content easily soloable, fast run times, and no removed mounts, it’s perfect for both new and veteran collectors.
Focus on weekly raid mounts first (highest value for time invested), then tackle dungeon grinds and rare spawns. With persistence and multiple characters, you can collect all Cataclysm mounts within 6-12 months.
The Pureblood Fire Hawk and Phosphorescent Stone Drake remain two of the most visually impressive mounts in the game, making this expansion’s content well worth farming even years after release.
Good luck with your drops, and may RNG be in your favor!
